Benjamin Doyle said he became a Sean Rash fan when Rash first joined the PBA Tour on a regular basis. But the 16-year-old Casper, Wyo., youth bowler (r.) never imagined he'd have the opportunity he got last week when he met and bowled with Rash (l.) during the USBC Masters at Sunset Station in Las Vegas. Doyle, a brain tumor survivor, got his chance through the Make A Wish Foundation. He spent more than an hour on the lanes with Rash on Jan. 28 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center.
The fourth annual Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational provided enough all-new story lines to create a script that will make Hollywood proud. The unique aspects of the event will become apparent when the special two-hour telecast airs on "Super Bowl Sunday," Feb. 5, at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. It was the first PBA event to be contested in a Lucky Strike center. Lucky Strike LA Live is part of a chain of 21 cutting-edge bowling-based entertainment facilities scattered across the U.S. and Canada.
A memorial get together to celebrate the life of the late PBA Hall of Famer Don Carter (pictured left with his wife Paula) has been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. at West Orlando Baptist in Winter Garden, Fla., followed by a gathering for friends and family at Carter Family Bowl, 715 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden. The Carter family invites all who attend to bring your bowling ball. Food and refreshments will be provided.
The hard fall of rookie Josh Blanchard (pictured) in last week's PBA World Championship Mike Aulby Division Final seen on ESPN has attracted a lot of national media attention. He has been featured on ESPN SportsCenter, ESPN Around the Horn, ESPN Pardon the Interruption, ESPNews, LIVE with Kelly Ripa, the Howard Stern Show and numerous other local sportscasts. His misfortune has also become a YouTube hit, among other internet blog sites, with hundreds of thousands of views.
PBA Tournament of Champions titlist Kelly Kulick (pictured) has landed a prime-time role in a new Bridgestone America's advertising campaign, in which the company is poised to utilize its tire technology revolutionize the world of sports as we know it. The Union, N.J., resident will represent bowling alongside athletes from a variety of other "ball" sports – plus hockey – in the campaign. And rumor has it the Bridgestone spot may be included in the Super Bowl advertising lineup.
The PBA’s All-In Showdown, a winner-take-all special event with a $5,000 entry fee, will return to the program as the kickoff event for the inaugural Xtra Frame Tour event in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 20. The new Xtra Frame Tour Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite is set for Jan. 20-22, 2012 starting with practice and pro-ams on Friday plus the renewal of the All-In Showdown at 2:30 p.m. PT. The All-In Showdown will be webcast live, exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame
online bowling channel
Four-time PBA Tour champion Sean Rash (pictured) has assembled the entire Brunswick and DV8 Pro Staff for a three-day, world-class Brunswick Bowling Camp at Brunswick Zone XL in Romeoville, Ill., July 6-8. "The idea is to use everyone on our staff – nine exceptional players who do everything the game has ever seen – so we'll be able to do multiple things throughout the camp," Rash said. "We have high-rev players, a two-hander, a left-hander, strokers, PBA hall of famers, you name it."
ESPN3 will simulcast the finals of the PBA Tour’s three remaining major championships, live online to a potential audience of nearly 70 million households. The USBC Masters (Sunday, Jan. 29 at 12:30 p.m. ET), the 69th U.S. Open (Sunday, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. ET) and the season-ending PBA Tournament of Champions (Sunday, April 15 at 1 p.m. ET) will not only air in HD on ESPN, but will be available to online viewers who have high-speed Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The third PBA World Series of Bowling provided PBA members and non-members more opportunity for prize money ($1,079,579), Xtra Frame exposure (117 hours of live coverage) and ESPN national television appearances (14) than any other event in PBA history. Overall, 315 bowlers entered WSOB events, including 204 in the PBA World Championship main event at South Point in Las Vegas, generating $281,105 in entry fees. Out of the 315 players, 124 players (39.4%) cashed in at least one event.
The third annual PBA World Series of Bowling is in the books and beginning Sunday, Dec. 4, ESPN will provide millions of bowling fans with nationally-televised coverage of the PBA Tour during the 2011-12 season. The PBA Tour's new television season, which includes 18 Sunday telecasts, will begin with a "doubleheader" on Dec. 4 with the men's and women's World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the PBA airing in back-to-back one-hour segments.
Sean Rash of Montgomery, Ill., is off to an unprecedented start in the third annual PBA World Series of Bowling, qualifying third, third, first and third in the Viper, Chameleon, Scorpion and Shark lane condition championships, respectively – the four qualifying elements to reach the PBA World Championship. On Wednesday, Rash, a 29-year-old four-time PBA Tour title winner, became the first player to reach five consecutive ESPN finals when he led the field of 204 in PBA World Championship qualifying.
Dominic Barrett (l.) of England won the PBA West/Northwest Region Sands Regency Casino Open Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. for his first PBA title. Barrett, who currently ranks fifth on the European Bowling Tour points list, posted an 8-2 match play record and compiled 4,126 pins, including match play bonus pins, to win the $2,000 first prize in Reno by 16 pins over new PBA member Josh Blanchard (r.) of Gilbert, Ariz.
After finishing fourth and eighth, respectively, in the AMF Australian Masters Saturday in Sydney, Sean Rash (l.) of Montgomery, Ill., and Australia's Jason Belmonte (r.) have locked up a head-to-head "grudge match" that will launch the PBA Tour's 2011-12 television season on ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 4. A Rash-Belmonte re-match has been anticipated since their emotional "bottlegate" confrontation during the GEICO PBA Team Shootout in June in Chicago.
The top seven players on the European Bowling Tour's 2011 men's points list, and nine of the top 16, including PBA champion Osku Palermaa (l.) and three.time World Champion Martin Larsen (r.) will be in the field for the PBA World Series of Bowling when it gets underway Nov. 4 at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The entry of Eric Tseng from Hong Kong brings the total number of nations participating to a record 16.
With the entry of six players from Bahrain, the 2011 PBA World Series of Bowling is assured of a record number of at least 15 nations that will be represented in the two-week extravaganza at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas. Each of the two previous World Series had representation from 14 countries. Capacity for the 2011 World Series is 240 players.
Finland's Osku Palermaa (pictured) defeated defending champion Chris Barnes, 192-184, to win the Columbia 300 Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 2. Barnes, a 13-time PBA Tour champion, saw his hopes for a second straight title end when he left a pocket 7-10 in the 10th frame. Palermaa, who won his first PBA Tour title in the 2010 Shark Open, captured his third European Bowling Tour title of the season after defeating England's Dominic Barrett in the semifinal match, 226-191.
Kelly Kulick, the only woman ever to win a PBA Tour title, will be among a select group of athletes who will bare almost all in a "Body We Want" section of the Oct. 7 issue of ESPN the Magazine. Kulick, the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions winner, will appear along with gymnast Alicia Sacramone, snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, soccer goalie Hope Solo and several other athletes who posed nude – discreetly – for ESPN The Magazine's third annual "Body Issue."
South Point Casino, Hotel and Bowling Center in Las Vegas (Nov. 4-20, 2011)
With just over six weeks remaining until the third annual PBA World Series of Bowling convenes at South Point Casino, Hotel and Bowling Center in Las Vegas, the international component of the annual event already features players from 13 different countries. The WSOB entry list as of Sept. 22 included players from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, Venezuela and the United States.
PBA Hall of Famer George Pappas of Charlotte, N.C., joined the elite group of members to win PBA titles in five different decades when he defeated Richard Bucey of Forest Hill, Md., 224-220, to win the PBA East Region Howell Lanes Senior Open at Howell Lanes in Howell, N.J., on Sunday, Sept. 11. Pappas (pictured with Howell Lanes manager Sharon Nasta), 64, picked up his 13th senior regional title (23rd overall) and his first since 2009 on his way to the $1,500 top prize.
One of the PBA’s most successful regional competitors will now be on the other end of the business, running the show from behind the lanes rather than on the approaches. Sam Zurich of Grant, Fla., a two-time PBA Tour titlist, a PBA Senior Tour winner and a 38-time PBA Regional champion, has been named PBA South Region manager, succeeding veteran Harry O’Neale who has retired after heading the South Region for more than 31 years. Zurich, 55, has been assisting O’Neale for the past two years in preparation for his new role.
Benjamin Doyle said he became a Sean Rash fan when Rash first joined the PBA Tour on a regular basis. But the 16-year-old Casper, Wyo., youth bowler (r.) never imagined he'd have the opportunity he got last week when he met and bowled with Rash (l.) during the USBC Masters at Sunset Station in Las Vegas. Doyle, a brain tumor survivor, got his chance through the Make A Wish Foundation. He spent more than an hour on the lanes with Rash on Jan. 28 at Sunset Station's Strike Zone Bowling Center.
A memorial get together to celebrate the life of the late PBA Hall of Famer Don Carter (pictured left with his wife Paula) has been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m. at West Orlando Baptist in Winter Garden, Fla., followed by a gathering for friends and family at Carter Family Bowl, 715 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden. The Carter family invites all who attend to bring your bowling ball. Food and refreshments will be provided. 
The hard fall of rookie Josh Blanchard (pictured) in last week's PBA World Championship Mike Aulby Division Final seen on ESPN has attracted a lot of national media attention. He has been featured on ESPN SportsCenter, ESPN Around the Horn, ESPN Pardon the Interruption, ESPNews, LIVE with Kelly Ripa, the Howard Stern Show and numerous other local sportscasts. His misfortune has also become a YouTube hit, among other internet blog sites, with hundreds of thousands of views.
The PBA’s All-In Showdown, a winner-take-all special event with a $5,000 entry fee, will return to the program as the kickoff event for the inaugural Xtra Frame Tour event in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 20. The new Xtra Frame Tour Cheetah Open presented by Ebonite is set for Jan. 20-22, 2012 starting with practice and pro-ams on Friday plus the renewal of the All-In Showdown at 2:30 p.m. PT. The All-In Showdown will be webcast live, exclusively on PBA’s Xtra Frame
online bowling channel 
Four-time PBA Tour champion Sean Rash (pictured) has assembled the entire Brunswick and DV8 Pro Staff for a three-day, world-class Brunswick Bowling Camp at Brunswick Zone XL in Romeoville, Ill., July 6-8. "The idea is to use everyone on our staff – nine exceptional players who do everything the game has ever seen – so we'll be able to do multiple things throughout the camp," Rash said. "We have high-rev players, a two-hander, a left-hander, strokers, PBA hall of famers, you name it."
ESPN3 will simulcast the finals of the PBA Tour’s three remaining major championships, live online to a potential audience of nearly 70 million households. The USBC Masters (Sunday, Jan. 29 at 12:30 p.m. ET), the 69th U.S. Open (Sunday, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. ET) and the season-ending PBA Tournament of Champions (Sunday, April 15 at 1 p.m. ET) will not only air in HD on ESPN, but will be available to online viewers who have high-speed Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider.
The third PBA World Series of Bowling provided PBA members and non-members more opportunity for prize money ($1,079,579), Xtra Frame exposure (117 hours of live coverage) and ESPN national television appearances (14) than any other event in PBA history. Overall, 315 bowlers entered WSOB events, including 204 in the PBA World Championship main event at South Point in Las Vegas, generating $281,105 in entry fees. Out of the 315 players, 124 players (39.4%) cashed in at least one event.
Dominic Barrett (l.) of England won the PBA West/Northwest Region Sands Regency Casino Open Sunday at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev. for his first PBA title. Barrett, who currently ranks fifth on the European Bowling Tour points list, posted an 8-2 match play record and compiled 4,126 pins, including match play bonus pins, to win the $2,000 first prize in Reno by 16 pins over new PBA member Josh Blanchard (r.) of Gilbert, Ariz.
The top seven players on the European Bowling Tour's 2011 men's points list, and nine of the top 16, including PBA champion Osku Palermaa (l.) and three.time World Champion Martin Larsen (r.) will be in the field for the PBA World Series of Bowling when it gets underway Nov. 4 at South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The entry of Eric Tseng from Hong Kong brings the total number of nations participating to a record 16.
Finland's Osku Palermaa (pictured) defeated defending champion Chris Barnes, 192-184, to win the Columbia 300 Vienna Open at Plus Bowling in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 2. Barnes, a 13-time PBA Tour champion, saw his hopes for a second straight title end when he left a pocket 7-10 in the 10th frame. Palermaa, who won his first PBA Tour title in the 2010 Shark Open, captured his third European Bowling Tour title of the season after defeating England's Dominic Barrett in the semifinal match, 226-191.
PBA Hall of Famer George Pappas of Charlotte, N.C., joined the elite group of members to win PBA titles in five different decades when he defeated Richard Bucey of Forest Hill, Md., 224-220, to win the PBA East Region Howell Lanes Senior Open at Howell Lanes in Howell, N.J., on Sunday, Sept. 11. Pappas (pictured with Howell Lanes manager Sharon Nasta), 64, picked up his 13th senior regional title (23rd overall) and his first since 2009 on his way to the $1,500 top prize. 
One of the PBA’s most successful regional competitors will now be on the other end of the business, running the show from behind the lanes rather than on the approaches. Sam Zurich of Grant, Fla., a two-time PBA Tour titlist, a PBA Senior Tour winner and a 38-time PBA Regional champion, has been named PBA South Region manager, succeeding veteran Harry O’Neale who has retired after heading the South Region for more than 31 years. Zurich, 55, has been assisting O’Neale for the past two years in preparation for his new role.